Staff Spotlight: Miguel Vicente Diaz
If you’ve ever visited our Golden Gate campus or chatted with someone who has, you’ve undoubtedly heard enthusiastic reviews about the delicious food. While people rave about the programs, the educators and the stunning views, the single most consistent piece of feedback we receive is about the gastronomic magic that’s concocted in our kitchen. This is all thanks to our very own Executive Chef, Miguel Diaz Vicente, who leads a staff of four and serves hundreds of hungry kids each week. We recently chatted with Miguel and learned about what it is that makes the food so great. (Hint… it starts with cooking with lots of love.)
Miguel (he/him) joined the NatureBridge team in 2018 and quickly found familiarity in blending his love of food with his love of the outdoors. “I love to go on walks with my family and play with our dog outside. I have a lot of good memories of playing soccer outside and then teaching and watching my son play soccer too. I also love to go try different foods and eat outdoors. My favorite thing to do is eat crepes with ice cream outside.”
I am so happy with the team that I’ve helped build. The people I work with are really important to me. That’s another reason I really love working here, the people.Miguel Vicente Diaz
A typical day in the Golden Gate kitchen starts with checking on the kids to make sure they’ve had breakfast. Once all of the bellies are full, Miguel begins ordering ingredients for the week, ensuring he has the food that he needs for the different student groups. “I always make sure my items are high quality. The food is very important for them and I want to make them happy.” Miguel works closely with his four kitchen employees, he cooks on the line alongside them, teaches them new recipes and makes sure they have everything they need to be successful, especially during unpredictable times and with varying group sizes. All in all, Miguel says that the return to campus has gone exceptionally well and that they’re continuing to learn every day how to improve what is already, arguably, a 5-star dining experience.
When asked what his favorite part of working at NatureBridge is, it was hard for him to pin down just one thing. “My favorite part of my job is cooking my orders. I love cooking. I even love calling the vendors when they make mistakes. Keeping those relationships strong and honest is important, and it is fun to talk to them but also important to make sure they are working with us how they are supposed to. I love helping people and sharing food. When I work for a place that I love, like NatureBridge, I want to do everything I can to make sure I am helping it and taking it in the right direction. I am also so happy with the team that I’ve helped build. The people I work with are really important to me. That’s another reason I really love working here, the people.”
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."